A Contraction of Guilt and the Birth of a Man
by LetheSara
Summary: It’s only in the direst of situations that Remus Lupin finally learns what sort of man he is. With Tonks in labour, will he let his guilt define his future or can he put his insecurities behind him and be the man he needs to be for his wife and child?


_A/N: Ok, wow. My first uploaded story. I'm really quite proud of it. Enjoy!_

**A Contraction of Guilt and the Birth of a Man **

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Nymphadora Tonks had been screaming in that manner almost continually for the past hour and showed no sign of stopping, despite the fact that she was certain she'd already sent every other woman in the maternity ward of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries completely deaf in at least one ear.

For some reason this baby just didn't want to be born and was making a very painful point about it. She tried to push, but to no avail.

She just kept screaming…

From the moment her waters broke up until now, Remus Lupin had not left his wife's side. He silently held her had, allowing her to clutch and constrict his through her torment. Though he loved his wife and child more than anything, more than he ever thought possible, the insecurities that plagued his mind were becoming more and more pronounced.

"Too old...Too poor…Too dangerous…Outcast…Ashamed…Coward…Selfish…" They all echoed so loudly and he couldn't ignore them any longer. As his mind was overcome with these blasphemic thoughts, he stood to leave but was stopped when his wife's grip on his hand refused to loosen.

"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME REMUS JOHN LUPIN!!" she screeched through clenched teeth, trying to repress the pain.

"This is your child too, and GOD DAMMIT! You are going to be here when it's born, you are going to hold it in your arms and whisper that everything is going to be okay and you are going to be the very best father and husband you can be. Werewolf or Not!' she screamed again in pain before she started to sob hysterically.

"Please Remus.' She cried. 'I can't do this without you…"

When he looked into her pleading eyes he could see both the fear and desperation in them, something he had never seen in her before. It was at that moment Remus Lupin finally saw sense. Even if it did have to be knocked into him by a heavily pregnant woman in labour shouting at him. Focusing solely on the woman he loved, he banished these vicious and malignant thoughts for the final time as he squeezed her hand gently in reassurance before kissing it softly. The waves of relief that swept across her face were short lived for it was at that moment she started screaming again.

In an instant, his role had changed. He had gone from being a nervous wreck on the edge of abandoning the two people who needed him the most, to being a doting, if somewhat over protective, husband. When she screamed, he held her hand. When she cried, he wiped away her tears. When it was time for her to push, he supported her, telling her that she was the most amazing and wonderful woman he had ever met, how much he loved her and that she could do this, just one more push.

When her final agonising scream died away, it was replaced by another. The screams of his son. He, Remus Lupin, had a son. As he held the tiny baby, their tiny baby, in his arms, he whispered that everything was going to be okay. He looked to his wife and could see her exhaustion, but she managed a smile anyway, if only for her two favourite boys.

Admittedly, she had never seen her husband like this before, but she kind of liked it. As he sat on the edge of her bed, she could see the pure elation in Remus's eyes, the joy, the surprise, the disbelief and the love, the pure and undeniable love. Taking the child in her own arms, she could understand everything he was feeling because she felt it too. This tiny life they had created together, she still couldn't believe it. It was her baby boy, her precious little boy. She looked up and smiled at her husband,

"He has your eyes Remus."

"Yes. But he has your stubbornness." He told her with a smile.

As he wrapped his arms around her, she had never felt more content. She was being held by her husband, the man she loved and was holding their child, their perfect little boy. They were finally a proper family and there was not one single person who could deny that.

* * *

As tiny Teddy Lupin fell asleep in the arms of his mother and father, he was oblivious to everything else. Whatever was coming would come and whatever was happening would happen, but for now he was safe, comfortable and surrounded by the people who loved him and that's all that mattered.


End file.
